As he explored the forest, he heard a soft singing. It was light and sweet, and he was captivated. It seemed to come from the stream, and he wanted to follow it. The music intoxicated him, clouding out all other thoughts.
Stepping off the worn path, he followed the light melody, until he reached the rocky sands near the spring.
She hummed quietly to herself, golden hair plaited into braids brushing the nape of her neck and her feet dipped into the clear stream. Her skin was milky white, and unblemished. She turned to look at him, her large, starry blue eyes meeting his.
"Hello, boy," she said. "What's your name?" He shifted uncomfortably, staring into her eyes. She's pretty…
"Len," he muttered.
"Speak up," the girl demanded. "I can't hear you." Len blushed, ashamed that he didn't please the pretty girl.
"Len," he repeated louder.
"Len, huh," she mused. "How old are you?"
"Sixteen years old," Len replied back proudly.
"Sixteen?" The girl said. "Why, you are old enough to start chasing after woman! How could I trust you won't do anything?"
"I won't do anything!" Len said. He would never do anything to her, he loved her.
The girl looked skeptical, but said, "Would you like to come and sit with me?" He eagerly nodded, taking off his socks and shoes and almost running towards her.
"I see you want to get closer to me," the girl teased, her eyes gleaming mischeviously. "You naughty boy."
Len blushed again and sat down next to her. "What shall I call you?" He asked, dipping his feet into the cool water and sitting up straight.
"Hm," the girl said, tapping her finger against her chin. "You may call me Rin."
"Okay, Rin!" he said. Just knowing her name made him feel closer to her already.
"You seem to be excited to use my name," Rin smirked. "I bet you will use it to seduce me, no?"
"Wha-no!" Len protested. "I would never do that!" Rin laughed, the thin sound blocking out the birdsong and the noise of the forest.
"Ha, how could I trust you? You are a boy, and I am a girl." She grinned wolfishly. Sunlight sparked off the water.
"You can trust me…" Len muttered, embarrassed.
"Speak louder," Rin snapped. "You must speak louder, I can't hear you if you're mumbling."
"I said that you can trust me," Len repeated louder, upset that he had displeased Rin. He turned to look at her; taking in her golden hair woven into braids and frilly white dress.
"What are you looking at?" Rin demanded, meeting his eyes. He could see dark blue flecks scattered in the pools of light blue, and was temporarily stunned.
"Uh-well-um," he stammered. "It's just that-that you're pretty." Rin blinked.
"Oh, aren't I?" She brushed flaxen strands of hair away from her eyes.
"Y-yeah," Len said. He looked up at the sky. "I think I have to go now."
"Oh, but won't you stay?" Rin said as he stood up. She grabbed him arm.
Len was unable to pull away. Her hands are so soft… "Um, well, okay," he said. "Maybe just a little while."
Her eyes sparkled. "Yay!" she said. "And you'll always come when I permit it?"
"Yes," Len answered immediately. He wanted to know Rin better, and spend more time with her.
She was like an angel, unflawed and perfect in every way.
.
"Why are you so late home?" His mother demanded when he arrived home. "You were supposed to be home an hour ago!"
"Oh, nothing." He answered absent-mindedly. "I just forgot, that's all." His thoughts were filled with Rin, Rin, Rin, and her perfection. She was beautiful and elegant, her voice was silvery, and it was like magic.
"Well, you better not forget again!" His mother said. "By the way, Mikuo needs you to help out with the horses."
"Okay…" Len wasn't really listening. A sudden whack on the head brought him back to his senses. "Ow!" He rubbed his head.
"Are you listening?" His mother said. "Mikuo needs you to help out with the horses."
"Okay, okay!" Len said, grabbing an apple from the table and leaving.
Tomorrow, he would see his angel again.
.
"Hello, you're back!" Rin laughed, her legs swinging as she sat on the thick branch of a tree. Len's heart beat faster because she was so happy to see him. She likes my company…
"Hi, Rin!" Len said. "Your hair is pretty." Rin smiled.
"I know, isn't it?" she said, running a hand through it. "But why do you say that, boy? Do you want to touch it?"
"No-I just wanted to compliment you." Len said.
"And you thought that that would make me allow you to touch my hair?" Rin smirked and jumped down from the branch, her white dress fluttering in the breeze. "You may touch my hair, boy, but do not ruin it." Today, flowers were in her hair. Flowers go well with her hair...
Hesitantly, Len stroked the girl's blonde hair, combing his fingers through the soft silkiness, careful not to let a flower drift to the ground. And Rin started to sing. Her voice carried through the air, intertwining itself with the birdsong.
Len could only listen, enchanted, as she sang, her voice reaching higher and higher. It was like a drug. She's so perfect…
"Sing again," Len begged when she stopped. "Your voice is so beautiful."
"It is," Rin agreed, nodding her head. "You are right. But-" her eyes glinted. "Why should I sing to fulfill your desires? I sing for myself, and only myself. I do not sing for boys." Len stopped combing her hair, disappointed. Well, if Rin does not want to sing for me, then I must've done something wrong. He promised himself that he would please her.
After all, he hated it when his perfect angel was upset with him. He loved her, and he wanted to make her happy.
His angel would love him; he knew it, when he gave her a gift.
.
"Hey, Len!" Len turned around, annoyed that someone had interrupted him while he was trying to go off to the forest. Rin…I'm sorry that this pig has to interrupt me from meeting you. *
"What?" He said. Haku ran up to him. She was so flawed, so imperfect, compared to his Rin. Her hands were covered in calluses, and she had a scar on her cheek from when a dog bit her when she was six. So very ugly, so very imperfect.
"Um-well-I was wondering-" She suddenly became shy, her hands tugging the lace on her dress and her red eyes staring at the ground. Rin would never do that, Len thought in disgust.
"What?" He repeated, beginning to get annoyed.
"Um-well-IreallylikeyouLen!" Haku squealed, and Len stared at her. She was too flawed for him to like her, his Rin was his true love.
"I don't like you back," he said bluntly, not bothering to say sorry.
"Um-well-okay." Haku continued to stare at the ground, trying not to cry. Tears wet the dry, dusty ground. Rin would never cry like this, Len thought as he walked away from the heartbroken girl.
Rin was a perfect angel, and all the village girls were pale in comparison.
.
"You're late," Rin said sadly. "Do you not like spending with me anymore?"
Flustered, Len blurted out the first thing in his mind.
"No!" He said. "I love spending time with you, it's just that a village pig held me up!" His palms sweaty, he held up the bouquet of flowers he had bought for her. "These are for you!"
Rin stared at them, finally reaching out to take them with a delicate hand. She then dropped them to the ground. Flower petals scattered everywhere.
"Why would you get me flowers," her eyes bored into him disapprovingly. "When I have a whole forest around me, boy?"
"I'm sorry," Len stared at the ground. "I'll get you something better next time."
Rin dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
"I have not yet forgiven you yet," she sniffed. "Leave today, and tomorrow, when you present me with your new, better gift, I will decide whether or not to forgive you."
"Yes!" Len said.
He would do anything his angel ordered.
.
"Don't you think that Len's been acting strange lately?" Mizki whispered to Luka. "He's been acting rude towards the girls of the village."
"And he's been sneaking off into the woods," Luka said, shifting her bag of groceries.
"Do you think that he could be secretly meeting up with someone?" Mizki said.
"Possibly," Luka said, nodding her head. "Possibly."
They both feel silent when Len walked by. He seemed to be intent on searching for something.
"What do you think he's looking for?" Mizki said once he was out of earshot. "A wedding ring?"
"Maybe," Luka said. "But Lily won't be happy; she's engaged him to Gumi already, since he isn't in a relationship, but he doesn't know yet."
"Ah, I bet he won't be happy if he is meeting up with someone," Mizki replied. "What do you think will happen?"
"I don't know, Mizki, I guess we'll just have to see what happens."
Meanwhile, Len looked at everything in the merchant's stock. Smiling, he decided on a necklace and handed the merchant money.
His angel would love his gift, he was sure.
.
"Rin!" He panted breathlessly, his hands gripping the box tightly. "I have a better gift now!"
When he reached the clearing, he was met with nothing.
"Rin…?" He said. Where was she? She isn't avoiding me, right? He thought desperately, wanting to see the face of his beloved again. "Rin! Where are you?"
She wasn't there, and it broke his heart. She was angry with him, and she wouldn't come out to see him.
"Rin!" He tried again, with no result.
His angel was angry with him, and that wasn't good.
.
"Len, we have arranged a marriage with Gumi for you!" His mother announced proudly at the dinner table. Len dropped his spoon into his soup bowl. Hot soup splashed everywhere.
"What?" He managed to utter, stupefied. "But I don't like her! She's loud and boisterous!"
"But Len," his mother said. "You're sixteen and you still aren't in a relationship, so I decided to set up a marriage. I'm sure Gumi will be happy."
"But I won't be happy!" Len complained. "I don't want this!"
"Well, what's done has been done," his mother said stubbornly. "And you'll be happy later on."
He got up, ignoring his mother's commands for him to sit down, grabbed his coat, and left. A plan was forming in his mind.
He would run away with his angel.
.
There was still daylight, and he still had time to find his Rin before it became dark and the werewolves came out.
Running toward the stream, he stopped when he heard laughter. Rin's laughter. A voice followed, but it wasn't Rin's voice. It was someone else's voice, someone other than him.
Rage burned in him. How dare someone spend time with his angel? How dare they?
Crashing through the bushes, he saw his angel with some guy. Without even thinking, he walked up to the man and wrapped his hands around the other guy's neck. Kicks and punches were directed at him, but he didn't feel them. All he could focus on was the searing anger that someone else talked to his Rin.
The person when limp, and he turned to Rin. She had been standing there, watching the whole scene with interest. Today, her hair was twisted into an elegant bun, but he didn't care.
"Why?" He yelled. She just stared at him with those big blue eyes. "Why would you do that?"
"Why?" Rin sneered. "There is no why; I felt like talking to someone else, so I did."
"But you're mine!" Len said. "No one else can touch you!" She was standing close to the bank of the stream. If she died, she would be with him forever…no one else could ever talk to her, touch her, do anything with her ever again.
With a quick shove, she fell backwards…and disappeared. Len stared at the stream with confusion, crouching over and staring into the clear water. Then, he felt hands on his back and he tumbled in.
Water engulfed him, sending cold shivers up his spine, and hands pushed him down so he couldn't get up. Looking up, he saw the face of his angel, distorted by ripples in the water as she smiled at him.
She started to sing, her gentle voice somehow piercing through the water, and he relaxed. Even if no one was holding him down, he didn't want to get up. He forgot about his pain, and everything, and only thought about the singing. The soft voice that sang a lullaby.
He stared at his Rin's face, and a ripple in the water broke her image before his life flowed out of him.
He would do anything for his angel, and if his angel wanted him to die, then he would.
*Sorry to all the Haku fans!
Well, this is a weird little one-shot. I've decided to be more confident in my work, and now I'm going to post more of the one-shots I've written. :)
If you need any clarification, please ask! :D
Based off of a Curses Inc. short story and of the Rusalka.
This one-shot seems a bit wrong to me, so PLEASE leave constructive criticism if you can! :D I want to fix it but I don't know how to.
See you all later!
~Dreams